Nice to be back on the golf beat again after a little bit of a break. But as I was discussing with a colleague out on the course, this is definitely not the ideal event–or place–to get your feet wet as a golf photographer. Let’s set aside, for a moment, the phenomenon of the “Jumping Cholla”–a type of cactus that, if you get too close to it, will literally dislodge barb-filled pods of stinging pain onto your person. Ignore me at your own peril; I scoffed at the notion at first, too. It only took one encounter to make a believer out of me. But if you can get past that, the World Match Play Championship is a long trek over a bland course that is designed to be played in a cart, not walked in the fairway, let alone outside the fairways in the rocky, cholla-filled desert. It takes a lot out of you; I usually feel guilty when I don’t have time to run while I’m on the road, but not here. Thirty-six holes a day (or more) on this course is plenty, thank you very much.

And for what? Well, I’ll give it this much: the beautiful, crisp, clear desert light is unmatched. At least, for 45 minutes right after sunrise and 45 minutes before sunset it is. The rest of the day is an exercise in futility, plodding around the course in harsh, high-noon sun that turns the space underneath a cap or visor where half of a player’s face would normally be found into a nice, even, black abyss. But it’s match play, so you slog it out. Anything can happen, as they say, and the golf gods don’t ever seem to take photographers’ prayers for good light into consideration when they decide that it’s time for an upset.

Or do they? Maybe that’s why the competitors doff their caps for the ritual post-match handshake…

Anyway it’s always good to get back to Tucson for a week. I love the pace of the city, sort of like Arizona’s Austin to the Dallas/Fort Worth of Phoenix. Those who know me (or have read since the beginning) know that one of my favorite places to eat is in Tucson, and as usual my trip to Cafe Poca Cosa did not disappoint. So let’s recap: Very few opportunities for good pictures. Hard golf course to walk. Nice town. Great food. Not really a bad week after all. Just watch out for the vengeful cacti.